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Sagrantino Grapes in Umbria. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Sagrantino Grape and the Italian Food, Wine & Travel Group
Sagrantino is the bully of the Vitis Vinifera world. Dark, thick skinned, withstands heat and cold. It holds one of the highest levels of tannins in the world of red wine grapes. In Umbria, it has long aging requirements to allow those strong tannins to integrate. Unless you know Umbria, you’re unlikely to have encountered it anywhere else, as the grape is indigenous to the region and rarely found outside. Historically, this tannic bruiser was tamed by making it into a passito-style sweet dessert wine. However, since the 1970’s, Sagrantino has also been made in a dry style. The Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco has an excellent overview of the Sagrantino grape on their website, here.

Inky dark, sweet and tannic; it’s unique

Brawny, no question

With all that, it does make a super dessert wine!

Learn How to Tame the Sagrantino Beast with Us
This month, our group of bloggers have been wrestling with Sagrantino, take a look at their posts below. This Saturday Feb. 2, our posts will all be live and we’ll be chatting about our discoveries. Join us on Twitter at 10am CST at #ItalianFWT, we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with Sagrantino! Take a look at all the great ideas our group will be posting:

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Buridda for Befana + Còlpetrone 2011 Montefalco Sagrantino”
• Marcia from Joy of Wine shares “The Power of Sagrantino”
• Jill from L’Occasion shares “Azienda Agricola Fongoli: Making Natural Wine In Umbria“
• Katarina from Grapevine Adventures shares “A Biodynamic Expression of Sagrantino in Umbria”
• Susannah Gold from Avvinare shares “Nectar of the Gods: Antonelli’s Montefalco Sagrantino Passito DOCG”
• Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares “Antonelli San Marco: Umbria’s Wine History in a Glass”
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest shares “Italy’s Finest Wine At A Great Price“
• Giselle from Gusto Wine Tours (in Umbria!) shares “#ItalianFWT – Sagrantino For The Win(e)”
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares “Getting to know Italy’s Sagrantino“
• Jennifer from Vino Travels Italy shares “Lawyers to Winemaking with Antonelli San Marco”
• Nicole from Somm’s Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Còlpetrone Montfalco Sagrantino and Pasta with Red Pesto & Truffle Meat Sauce“
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares “Montefalco Sagrantino on a Cold Winter’s Night”

Warmup: Terre de Trinci Montefalco Sagrantino & Lamb Chops

Deep, dark and tannic, Montefalco Sagrantino begs for grilled foods.

Grilled dinner, as requested. Lamb chops, potato wedges, brussels sprouts and red onions.

A great way to warm up a winter evening.

Cantina Terre de Trinci Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2006 ($18 locally, or online here)
Eye: Very slightly hazy, deep garnet color with a rusty garnet edge. Medium stained legs.
Nose: Clean, medium intensity. Clearly an older wine, tobacco, pine needles, leather, followed by dried cherries and raisins.
Mouth: Dry, medium+ intensity flavor. Medium+ acidity, high tannins, even 13 years away from harvest. Medium+ body, medium alcohol. Flavors of dark fruits, balsamic vinegar, tar, pine needles. Medium+ astringent finish. An austere wine, to be sure, begging for a grilled meat.